“I was just trying to stick with my officer, Lt. Matt Camara,” he said. “I was listening to him and doing everything he told me to do. He is a great officer, so I didn’t have to do anything except listen to him and do what he said and stay close.”

What stood out in the Captain’s story was the things that went right, and the potential for things to go so wrong. The first due companies arrived on scene to find nothing showing. These words alone often cause us to drop our guard, to become complacent.

“They made an aggressive interior attack on the home and were hindered by pack rat conditions. – They made an initial search and rescue, a primary search and rescue, and were unable to find any way inside.”

First, your search was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I ‘must’ not honor you. And secondly, you must be a dressed firefighter for the Firefighter’s Code to apply, and you’re not. And thirdly, the code is more what you call “guidelines” than actual safety rules. Welcome aboard the fire service, Miss Turner!

Clear, concise, level-headed communication is one of the best characteristics a first-due officer can have. Especially when the local alarm turns out to be two floors of heavy fire and the exposures starting to go.

Theodore Wells“Good Enough”Let’s Not Be Neanderthal about Roof VentilationI am a home owner, not a fire fighter. I am involved because I am fighting the 4' pathway requirement for solar panels in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mi. which is the only city in Michigan which requires this draconian measure. 4' is supposed to be for commercial, not residential. So: One firefighting website said that…
2018-04-12 17:42:25

Darryl HaysTactical Safety for Firefighters:It’s About Nozzle Reach, Not Stream ReachYou know, in my almost 30 years in the fire service, I never thought about "stream reach". I have always used the "nozzle reach" concept. It just makes sense that to put out all of the fire, you need to get to the base of the fire. Sometimes, that means going to the far corner…
2018-02-19 01:13:30

Mark J. CotterThe Rescue MindsetDespite being the author of the "unfounded drivel" you quoted in your article, I agree with the core point of your article: that we need to train and be prepared to perform at our maximum at all times, so as to best be able to address whatever situation presents. We can argue about whether a…
2017-11-17 03:07:31